Two articles about individuals and groups claiming recognition for the effects of pesticides on their health have appeared recently.

Last week, the UK Ecologist published an article about the work of HEAL and partner organisation in France, MDRGF in bringing together a "victimes de pesticides" network – Pesticides and cancer: victims fight for justice, 4 Feb 2010. Three French farmers, who are members of the network, have won legal claims that their cases of cancer and Parkinson’s disease were cause by working with pesticides.

An article by UK pesticides campaigner Georgina Downs appeared in The Guardian, a leading national newspaper, not long before. It describes why Georgina is taking her campaign to protect the public from pesticides to the European courts. Why I’m taking my campaign to protect the public from pesticides to Europe, 25 January 2010 .

The article attracted 64 readers’ comments - all in support of her efforts. One message is from Kelly Franklin in Canada "where 154 municipalities have implemented pesticide by-laws. Quebec and Ontario have province-wide bans with others in the works and a Canada-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides is on the horizon." She says the Canadian policy is creating a living laboratory. "What if it emerges … that the bees stop dying in droves, if cancer rates decline, if sex-ratios return to normal, if fish stocks rebound - what then?" she asks.